THE Kuching High Court sentenced a housewife, Elora Duka, to 30 years in prison for the murder of her husband’s three-year-old nephew.
Judicial Commissioner Yusof Pan delivered the sentence after Elora pleaded guilty to the charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of death or a minimum of 30 years in prison, along with possible caning, reported The Borneo Post.
The crime took place on April 1, 2021, around 8 pm at a house in Lundu.
On the same day, at 9 pm, Elora brought the child to the emergency unit of Lundu Hospital, claiming he had choked and suffered a seizure.
During the medical examination, doctors found that the child had a weak pulse and required immediate treatment.
He was transferred to the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) at 11 pm and admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.
The child passed away the following day at 12:25 pm.
Following his death, SGH filed a police report, which led to Elora's arrest on April 7, 2021.
Investigations revealed that the child had been healthy before the incident and had merely wanted to lie down after dinner, but Elora told him not to as it would cause stomach pain, which made him cry.
Worried that others might hear him, Elora tried to quiet him. She grabbed his shoulders and violently shook him, causing his head to hit the floor multiple times because the mattress had moved.
In her anger, she then pressed down on his neck and applied pressure to his stomach several times.
She later claimed that her actions were due to frustration because he wouldn’t stop whining.
When the child lost consciousness, Elora left him on the floor and went to feed her cat. Her son later alerted her that the child was gasping for air.
She called her husband, who was at his mother’s house, and they took the child to Lundu Hospital together.
A post-mortem examination on April 6, 2021, revealed that the child died from head and abdominal injuries caused by blunt force trauma.
Deputy public prosecutor Aida Nurdiana represented the prosecution, while Elora was represented by Timothy Finlayson Joel. – March 14, 2025
